IMDb > Houdini (1953)

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   1,045 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
George Marshall
Writers:
Harold Kellock (book)
Philip Yordan (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Houdini on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 July 1953 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama more
User Comments:
Curtis looks terrific as Houdini, the showman and the self-promoter... more (21 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Tony Curtis ... Harry Houdini

Janet Leigh ... Bess Houdini
Torin Thatcher ... Otto (Von Schwager's assistant)
Angela Clarke ... Harry's mother

Stefan Schnabel ... German Prosecuting Attorney
Ian Wolfe ... Malue
Sig Ruman ... Schultz
Michael Pate ... Dooley (of the London Examiner)
Connie Gilchrist ... Mrs. Shultz
Malcolm Lee Beggs ... British jail warden
Frank Orth ... Mr. Hunter (safe expert)
Barry Bernard ... Insp. Marlick
Douglas Spencer ... Simms (of the New York Observer)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
106 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
West Germany:12 | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #16247) | Sweden:15

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The movie contains several factual errors, the most telling of which is the dramatization of his death. In the film he runs into a prop sword handle and ruptures his appendix, then almost drowns in the torture tank trick and dies on the stage in the arms of his wife. In real life he was punched in the stomach by a college boy who had heard that Houdini could withstand any blow without harm. This did, indeed, rupture his appendix. He later collapsed on stage, was taken to the hospital and died there. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Newspaper editor looks over layout for "whatever happened to Houdini?" article, then assigns a reporter to go out and investigate the story. This is absolutely backwards - a story of such a speculative nature would always be written first, with layout following after the fact. more
Quotes:
Harry Houdini: I hadn't prepared anything for tonight, but perhaps I have something that will amuse you. So if you'll get a couple of broomsticks, I'll get my wife - and we'll see what we can do. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Mau Mau Sex Sex (2001) more
Soundtrack:
The Thunderer more

FAQ

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21 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
Curtis looks terrific as Houdini, the showman and the self-promoter..., 29 April 2000
7/10

By the early 1900s, the extraordinary Houdini earned an international reputation for his theatrical tricks and daring feats of extrication from shackles, ropes, handcuffs, and Scotland Yard's jails...

The film depicts Houdini's memorable escape from any pair of handcuffs produced by the audience; the outdoor exhibition, when he allows himself to be hanged upside down from his ankles, suspended from the roof of a high building, in a strait jacket; and, the dramatic act, when he accepts to be shackled with irons and placed in a box that is locked, roped, and submerged in frozen waters...

The film also exposes Houdini's campaign against mind readers, fraudulent mediums and others who claim supernatural powers... Houdini shows a passionate talent for escapology and the film did much to create the 'Water Torture Cell' illusion...

With his pretty-boy looks, Tony Curtis handles the title role with passionate skill... His energetic performance, as the talented and motivated magician, is very good...

With good period atmosphere, but with more attention to romance than to interesting detail, the film is quite enjoyable and colorful...

Janet Leigh does a great job as Houdini's faithful wife...

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